


Lucky Break

by shipskicksandgiggles



Series: what if the avengers had brain cells and ca:cw never happened [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Peter Parker, Everyone Is Gay, Gay Harley Keener, Harley Keener is Tony Stark's Adopted Child, Homeless Peter Parker, Homelessness, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Bucky Barnes, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Has Issues, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Pre-Relationship, coffee shop AU, did i make oscorp the mafia?, i made Lucky a coffee shop instead of a dog, idealized avengers, tony stark is a little shit, yeah kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2020-09-06 12:07:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20291200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipskicksandgiggles/pseuds/shipskicksandgiggles
Summary: Harley Keener was adopted by Tony Stark when he was 13 years old. When he's in high school, he starts working at Lucky's coffee shop where he meets Peter Parker.Peter Parker is more than meets the eye. It's up to Harley to find out why.





	1. Captain Americano

**Author's Note:**

> so this was an idea that ive been sitting on for a while and it needed to be put down in writing. I can't promise consistency with chapters with school starting soon, but i do have a lot of it done. i hope yall like it
> 
> there will also be a prequel coming out at a later date. we're doing this hobbit style ig

Lucky’s was a small coffee shop opened by Clint Barton when he was taking a break from the Avengers, and kept up by high school and college kids while he was away. It wasn’t so much small as it was cozy, which was hard to come by in Manhattan. It. The seating was completely mismatched, but it was all the most comfortable chairs, couches, and beanbags you could find. Tables ranged from being able to fit one person studying by themselves, to a table big enough to house a meeting or a group project. They were also open 24 hours a day to be accommodating to those who couldn’t necessarily make it during the daylight hours, but still needed a place to go. The walls were lined with art done by locals, shelves of books donated by people who didn’t want them anymore, and a selection of teas, coffee, and hot cocoa that put most places to shame. The counter was set dead center, a circle to give the employees both more space to work with and easier access to everything around them. 

One of said employees was Harley Keener-Stark. Despite his roots in engineering and robotics with his father being the head of Stark Industries, the boy found himself drawn into the more personal atmosphere of the coffee shop. Don’t get him wrong, he excelled with all things mechanical and had in fact fixed most, if not all, of the appliances in the shop at least once, he just wasn’t a fan of all the board meetings he was supposed to be groomed for. 

He worked the day shift 4 days a week. 7:00am-5:00pm he served everyone from hurried business people to exhaused high school and college kids who were stopping for a much needed break. Speaking of which…

“Yo MJ! Your 15 is up! Stop reading your horror novel and get back to work.”

“As if you aren’t gonna start analyzing your dad’s blueprints the second you start your break, Stark,” Michelle Jones, the bane of Harley’s existence and his favorite coworker, scoffed. 

“What have I told you about calling me Stark?”

“To not… do it?” She shrugged. “Listen man, you got adopted by him. It’s been what? 6 years? 7? Just accept it and move on.”

“‘Harley Stark’ doesn’t sound nearly as good as ‘Harley Keener.’ Just accept it and move on,” he mimicked, sticking his tongue out for good measure. 

A customer stepped up to the counter. “Celebrity crush?” he asked while looking over the menu, trying to make small talk. 

“No, he’s my dad,” he said, which had a noticeable impact on the man in front of him. He tried to open his mouth to respond, but before he could, Harley interrupted, “Please don’t say anything about that. It’s not nearly as cool as you think, believe me. That’s why I work here, with her.”

The man nodded and placed his order. The rest of the day passed by fairly quickly after that (he did look over the blueprints on his tablet during his break, but no one needed to know that), and soon enough he was on his way home. Lucky’s wasn’t far from the Tower, and since it was spring, he biked to and from work when it wasn’t raining, and even some days when it was, like today.

He rolled his bike into the garage under the tower before hopping off and wheeling into the elevator.  _ I wonder how dad would react to an indoor bike path that wraps around the staircase and lets off onto the floors people live on _ . He’d have to remember to ask Tony about it later. 

“Hey JARVIS?”

“ _ Yes Boss Jr.?”  _ the AI’s voice speakers echoed in the small space. 

“Where’s dad?”

“ _ Boss Sr. is in his lab. Sergeant Barnes is out getting takeout as he returned from his latest mission and wanted to surprise Mr. Stark. The Avengers currently not away on missions are dispersed in both commons area and the gym. Ms. Potts is away on a short business trip and will be back tonight. Miss Abigail is with her,” _ JARVIS listed dutifully. 

“Great, thanks J. Take me to the penthouse first so I can put the bike away, then hold for a sec and take me to the lab,” Harley said, although his mind was already whirring on the design of the bike path. 

~~~

After depositing his bike, Harley walked back into the elevator and rode down to his dad. 

“Harley! There you are. Why is your hair all wet? Did you bike in the rain  _ again _ ? Oh and how was work? See your prettyboy coworker again?” his dad rambled on, not letting him get a word in between questions. 

“Hey old man nice to see you too,” Harley droned. “Well not really  _ see _ more than  _ hear _ . Where are you?”

“Look up.”

He did. “Hey, dad?” A pause. “Why the fuck are you on the ceiling?”

“It’s a long story, but can you help me down first before I tell it? And watch your language young man. I raised you better than that. Steve wouldn’t approve.” 

“Two thoughts: first, Uncle Golden Patriotism can suck my ass and probably then cry about it to Uncle Sam during sex. Second, JARVIS can tell the story because he won’t lie about it like you will, right J?”

_ “Affirmative Boss Jr., _ ” came the robotic reply. “ _ Boss Sr. was attempting to upgrade his Iron Man suit and work on a way to potentially magnetize Sergeant Barnes’ arm to assist Mr. Wilson and Mr. Barton with a prank at the same time, and due to his lack of sleep, a few *ahem* wires got crossed and now the boot section of his suit is stuck to the ceiling with him in them. _ ” The blunt retelling of the story made it all the better. 

Harley burst out laughing as he lifted Tony down, nearly dropping him. “My two sons, betraying me in my old age, wouldn’t you believe it,” Tony grumbled. “Also Uncle Sam? No nickname? I’m disappointed and slightly disturbed at the mention of their sex life, but whatever. Don’t think I didn’t notice you not answer my original questions you little shit.”

“Uncle Sam is in itself a nickname, father dearest. The other symbol of American Patriotism,” Harley practically sang while he fixed all of the ‘crossed wires’ in a matter of seconds. “And yes I biked in the rain again. Felt nice since it’s starting to get warmer. Speaking of bikes I need to ask you: how would you feel about an indoor bike path winding around the stairs opening on the living floors?” He was already opening a file and starting a design sketch. “In a normal apartment building we’d have to worry about how steep it would have to be, but thank  _ God _ you insisted on high ceilings that is gonna make this  _ so _ much easier I mean-“

“Kid,” there was the pressure of Tony’s hand on his shoulder, guiding him away from the already halfway finished design on the hologram projector, “you need to slow down.”

“Okay.” Harley sat down on the couch he was guided towards. 

“Now,” Tony said using the appropriately dubbed ‘dad voice,’ “you didn’t answer my question about prettyboy coworker.”

_ Oh.  _ Prettyboy coworker, aka Peter Parker, the current object of Harley’s  pining affection. The one he ranted to Tony about almost every day he worked at the coffee shop. “He wasn’t in this morning. I think he’s sick or something.”

“Oh good. I’m running on too little sleep for that right now anyways.”

“Hey doll?” James’ voice echoed through the room. “What’s this that JARVIS is saying about you not sleeping for 52 hours?”

“ _ Oh shit _ ,” Tony whispered. “Uh, hey Sugarplum welcome home!” he said definitely louder this time, but still tinged with a tiny bit of fear. 

“Pops!” Harley nearly threw himself into the arms of the super soldier before seeing the food he had in his hands. He let out a whoop. “You brought food, too? Nice.”

He nodded and handed Harley his usual Thai food and told him to run upstairs and eat, leaving him with Tony. He sat the food down on the nearest open surface and buried his husband in a tight hug. “Baby, I know you don’t sleep well when I’m not here, but 52 hours straight? Not even a little nap?” 

A muffled sound came from where Tony’s face was buried in his husband’s shirt. “I’m sorry,” he said when he pulled back enough to be intelligible. “Can we go upstairs and eat now? Then I’ll sleep, I promise.”

James smiled softly and kissed the little pout from his face. “Alright, babydoll. Whatever you want.”

Tony perked up. “Whatever I want?” he asked, wiggling a bit in James’ arms, just enough to create friction. 

He rolled his eyes and huffed, “Maybe later, but only if you sleep first, okay?”

“Okay!” Tony dragged him towards the elevator, then ran back to get the food they almost forgot. 

~~~

Harley was sitting at the table in the common area when they arrived, with a smaller hologram emanating from his tablet. “Since when did the StarkPad do holograms?” Tony asked while trying to swipe it out from under his son. 

“Since I did some upgrades, old man. Welcome to the future, oh Great Futurist.” He struggled to get his design back, until James stole it from both of the geniuses. 

“No work at the dinner table, we’ve talked about this,” he scolded, saving the project and collapsing the projection before placing it above their reaches. “Now eat up,” he instructed. “Harley, you can work after you finish. Tony, you’re going to go to sleep after you finish, that’s non negotiable.”

“Can’t work for too long though,  _ bambino _ . You have to work an extra day tomorrow because you agreed to cover for Lila, don’t forget,” his father reminded. 

“Ugh. Alright. I’ll show you how I got the hologram to work tomorrow after work if you aren’t busy.”

“... Fine.” 

Once a truce had been agreed on, the meal passed peacefully, James telling them about the Cliche Villain Monologue™ of the week, Tony complaining about the annoying bureaucrats he’s been successfully avoiding since hour 37, and both of his fathers making fun of Harley’s not so subtle crush on the coworker he sees for half an hour every morning between shift changes. 

After Harley finished, he grabbed his tablet and started working with the dimensions the path would have to be. He fixed the original straight wrap around into a more in-and-out shape that allowed for both distance and height to be reasonable, as well as still working into the overall aesthetic he was looking for. By the time he finished, it was nearly 1:00am.  _ I’ve worked with less sleep _ , he thought as he reset his alarm to go off at 5:30. 

~~~

Harley walked into the coffee shop at 6:25 the next morning. There was the telltale head of brown curls that appeared just above the countertop. Harley grinned. “Bada bing!” he yelled across the shop.

“Bada boom!” Peter popped up from behind the counter, matching grin on his face, a stark contrast from his black eye.

“Eyyy, I’m walkin’ ‘ere!” Harley jumped up and over the counter to set his bag under the counter and start prepping for the morning rush. “That’s one helluva shiner, kid. Someone get offended by your pretty face?”

“Nah just a couple muggers. You should see the other guys.”

“Mmhmm I’m sure they’re so much worse for wear. Tiny thing like you can pack a punch, I’ll bet,” Harley said as Peter handed him a dish cloth to wipe down the counter. “That why you weren’t here yesterday?”

“Yeah. I’m not usually in today, but I had to make up the shift somehow. And I’m covering for Ned today on the day shift, so I’m working with you, I guess.” He shrugged, oblivious to the noise of screeching brakes coming from Harley’s brain as it blue screened. 

_ Working a full shift with Peter fucking Parker? Goddamn. _ “Oh, sweet. I’m covering for Lila, but today must be my lucky day,” he managed, pushing through all the alarm bells in his head that screamed ‘Red Alert.’

Peter snorted. “Sure. Lucky.” He froze. “Wait was that a pun?” Harley started laughing. “Harley James Keener get  _ back _ here you monster!” 

Harley hopped back over the counter and ducked under it to avoid being hit by a wet sponge. “It was funny! Stop attacking me!”

Peter giggled, which, oh  _ wow  _ that was cute okay okay okay coolcoolcool, Harley could handle a whole day of this. He groaned internally and resolved to scream into the void the next time he got the chance. Add ‘Soundproof Panic Zone’ to the list of rooms the Tower needed. 

“You’re really pulling a double shift? Dude how are you planning on staying alive?” Harley’s concern was more powerful than his gay panic, thank the Lord.

Peter held up the biggest mug Harley had ever seen. He pointed, “Red Eye.”

“Mr. ‘I Drink Herbal Tea at all Hours of the Day’ is drinking a Red Eye?” Harley gasped dramatically. “Is the world ending? Is it the second coming of Christ?” He couldn’t resist teasing.

A flying dish towel hit him in the face. “There are customers, you ass. Act civil for 5 minutes while I get the fresh batch of baked goods from Clint.”

“Tell him his favorite nephew is here!” he yelled after him as he disappeared into the kitchen. He turned to the woman in front of him, who was yelling at someone over the phone, which was technically against the store’s policy, but Harley liked being alive so he accepted the list she handed him with grace, and started on her (very large) order. It was going to be a long day. 

~~~

Throughout the time he had worked at the shop, Harley had begun to get to know Peter in little snippets from the short time they spent together during the shift change. He knew how he rarely drank coffee and had a preference for herbal tea. He knew that Peter was a nerd like him, but only with biochem instead of physics. He was taking online courses at NYU because he couldn’t attend during normal class times. Today, Harley was determined to find out more. Unfortunately, it happened to be insanely busy all day. It was 1:30pm before Harley could reasonably take his break. He flopped down at a small table close enough to the register that he could jump back in if need be. He pulled out his StarkPad that he’d retrieved from the top of the fridge that morning (Thanks Pops) and started adjusting the angle the path was on.

“Holy shit!” Peter threw himself into the chair across from him. 

Harley barely glanced at him. “Did people finally stop showing up? Or did you quit? Because I don’t have the energy to do all of this by myself today.”

‘No, no. We finally hit a lull and...” he trailed off, mystified by the sight in front of him. “What kind of software are you using to do that?” He gestured to the model of the Tower’s stair system on the table in front of them. 

“This? I kinda sorta may have found a way to code a smaller version of Dad’s holotable to fit to a tablet size. I have one for my personal computer too, but that was just a trial and it wasn’t nearly as nice as this. I’m working on a way to integrate it to cell phones as well, just so there’s a handheld option.” Was he rambling? He felt like he was rambling. “Oh god I’m sorry this is probably boring and I’m being a distraction I-”

“If you apologize one more time, I’m gonna kick your ass. I  _ asked _ you what it was. Ned is a huge computer nerd so he would love this, but I have my moments.” Peter studied the design. “What is this anyway?”

“What it’s  _ supposed _ to be is a bike path on the inside of the building leading to the living floors, so that we don’t have to take up space in the elevator where people could potentially be. Something’s not right about it and I can’t figure out what,” Harley ranted. 

“How about I’ll be a second set of eyes. You need to go eat something though. You’ve been here for hours and I have yet to see you consume anything that isn’t coffee related. Walk away, eat, come back, and I’ll give you feedback, okay?” Peter shooed him away before he could protest and Harley practically melted at the attention. 

He returned moments later, sandwiches in hand. “Brought you one too. I haven’t seen you eat either and I don’t know if you ate on the night shift.” Peter accepted the food handed to him, immediately digging in and letting out a moan that Harley  _ really _ wished was for him instead of the sandwich. “You can thank my Aunt Tasha for that. I think she thinks I’ll starve to death or something? I have one more under the counter if you want it,” he offered. 

“Yes please,” Peter squeaked, a faint blush on his cheeks when he realized the noise he made. 

Harley walked away to retrieve the third sandwich from his bag. As he sat back down, Peter let out a quiet ‘ _ oh _ ’ and fixed something on the hologram. He looked up and beamed at Harley. 

“So I figured out your issue.”

“Biochem isn’t your only specialty is it, C 6 H 12 O 6 ?”

Peter muttered something that sounded like ‘Oh for fuck sakes’ and spun the stairs. “The issue isn’t in the design of the stairs themselves, it’s in the execution of them.” He pointed to one of the wider sections. “Your idea is brilliant, don’t get me wrong, but dude, how are people getting from the path onto their floors? I’m assuming you’re gonna shape the space around the stairwell as a cylinder as wide as the outermost edge of the path. The original design had the indented portion of the thing level with the base of the floor instead-“

“-Instead of the widest part,” Harley finished. “Holy fuck you’re totally right! How did I not see that!” he said, equal parts indignant and impressed. “Jesus, I could kiss you right now, man. You have no idea what this means to me.”

Peter laughed, flushing a deeper red. “I’m just Peter Parker, not Jesus. Sorry to disappoint.”

“You could never disappoint me,” Harley stated, a bit too seriously. 

“I-uh. S-s-sure Harles. oH LOOK CUSTOMERS.” Peter shot out of his seat and Harley nearly smacked himself. He had been too forward and ruined it. Of course. He finished up editing the design, and dragged himself out of the chair to go back to work and pretend that nothing had happened. 

~~~

  
  


“Hey what can I get y’all.” A couple had walked in, and Harley made an effort to charm them with his old, slightly faded accent. The girl blushed and giggled, while her boyfriend looked equally as red, but instead of giggling, he stuttered through his order. The second they were out of earshot, Peter let out a huff he’d been holding in. “What was that?” Harley stared in shock when he dissolved into a fit of laughter punctuated by actual snorts.

“You said ‘y’all’ like you’re really from Tennessee,” he broke down into giggles again. 

“I am from Tennessee,” Harley defended.

“Well yeah sure, but you’ve lived in New York for 7 years. Your accent is practically nonexistent, but holy shit can you play it up.”

Harley raised his eyebrows. “Well, whatever gets me more tips.” He shot a wink at the guy when he came up to grab his drink. Peter rolled his eyes again, a thinly veiled attempt at keeping more laughter down. The boyfriend; however, let out a light squeak and scurried away. 

“Whatever man. I still hold that y’all belongs to true Southerns and gays.”

“I’m gay,” Harley blurted before his brain could stop him. He resisted the urge to slam his face into the counter. 

Peter’s eyes widened. “Oh.” He hesitated over his words before saying, “Well, I guess I’ll forgive you, then.” He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he stopped himself and excused himself to take his break, leaving Harley to deal with the new lineup of customers. 

He didn’t let himself dwell on what he could have possibly said, and started the next order. The rest of the day went by fairly slow despite the number of customers. An awkwardness lingered over them for the rest of the day, until the next set of people came in to start the evening shift. 

~~~

Friday’s were dubbed ‘family night’ in the tower, when any of the Avengers, ex-Avengers, etc. were in town gathered in the tower common room for dinner, games, and movies. It was Harley’s favorite day of the week. He walked into the room to the smell of Clint’s cooking (also Harley’s favorite. Who knew the most accident prone one of them could cook that well) and the sound of chatter from everywhere. He spotted an open section of the couch and immediately claimed it, accepting snuggles from Natasha as he leaned into her. 

“What’s wrong, котенок?” she asked as she began running her hands through his hair. “Boy problems?” He nodded, shifting to lay his head on her lap, stretching his legs over Steve’s lap, who adjusted accordingly. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Don’t ask that, Nattie. Of course he’s gonna tell us, aren’t you  _ bambino _ ?” Tony practically yelled, effectively drawing a hush over the room. 

“Maybe later,” he said. “It’s probably Clint’s fault anyway. And don’t think that your cooking is making up for anything, asshole!” he yelled towards the kitchen. 

“THIS MAY SHOCK YOU, BUT I DIDN’T DO IT,” was the response shouted from the man. “ALSO, 5 MINUTES UNTIL FOOD, SO GET YOUR BUTTS IN SEATS.”

People started moving towards the table. “Okay, so I’ll bite,” Sam was the first to break the curious whispers. “What may or may not be Clint’s fault?”

“Someone wasn’t aware that his crush, a certain Peter Parker, would be working on his shift today,” Clint answered before Harley could stop him. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he groaned. 

“I actually didn’t know you were subbing in for Lila until he came into the kitchen and told me you said hi.”

“Wait Peter Parker?” Tony asked. “Like the biochem genius I just promoted to my personal intern since he developed synthetic spider silk that could be used as emergency medical equipment, and was wasting his potential in his old department? That Peter Parker?”

“Hey dad?”

“Yes?” he said nervously.

“You didn’t.”

“I- uh-” The others watched the exchange in amusement. The moment was broken by Clint setting a few dishes on the table. 

“I think he did, kiddo.” He set the last platter down and started listing off what each thing was. “Chicken Piccata, pasta, grilled vegetables, and there’s cannoli cupcakes for dessert later.”

James distributed the plates while Bruce did the silverware, and before long, the earlier conversation was mostly forgotten. Everything was fantastic, as per usual, and after the meal was finished, board games were spread out across the floor. 

“Harley James, you are not old enough to play Cards Against Humanity.”

“C’mon Pops!” Harley protested as he was lifted from his spot in front of Natasha, Sam, Wanda, and Clint. “Nat can’t win again! Aro-Ace people shouldn’t be this good at this game.” 

Nat snickered. “Our biggest secret is the fact we have the dirtiest sense of humor. Plus I spend far too much time around your dad.”

“I’m 19, Pops! Put me down!” He struggled to try and get out of his grip. “I’m too old for this.” 

“Aww детка you’re never too old for your pop’s cuddling.” Harley was immediately enveloped in a hug. James sat down in an armchair nearby with Harley in his lap. 

It was pointless to try and escape.  _ Damn super soldier parents _ . He eventually settled into it and allowed himself to be cuddled. He stayed like that through the entire movie ( _ Treasure Planet _ because “c’mon it’s the  _ best _ underrated Disney movie guys”...yeah okay thanks Steve) and ended up dozing off during the movie. Anyone left that was awake to watch James carry his son to bed cooed softly at the sleeping boy. 


	2. Mark(L)iatto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast, Bi boys, and Bad parenting tactics. Son of a bitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what??? jaime updating??? fucking wild.
> 
> lmaooo i've been busy and highkey forgot to write about this one. this chapter is significantly shorter due to both lack of motivation/ideas and this one just isn't great. the next chapter is gonna be hella cool tho, so stick around! there'll prolly be around 4 chapters total btw

Saturday mornings were filled with the smell of waffles and fresh fruit from a farmers market Sam had found a few months ago. Harley rolled out of bed and walked blindly towards the smell, humming gratefully when a mug of coffee was pushed into his hands. 

“Morning sweetheart. You’re up early.” Tony ruffled his hair as he guided Harley into a seat. 

“Waffles,” Harley murmured, very much not awake. 

“Ah. I see.”

“Kid’s got his head on straight, that’s for sure,” commented James. He sat a plate of waffles down in the middle of the breakfast bar. 

Tony immediately grabbed one and doused it in syrup, groaning at the taste. “This is why we need you home more. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kickass murder husband, but what I would give to have a kickass househusband.” He let out another pleased noise. 

“Yes dear, and I’m sure that Sam or Clint would love to pick up the slack if I retired.”

Tony laughed and smothered his husband in affection, earning him a squawk from James. 

“Saps. Absolute saps,” Harley complained, digging into his waffle sprinkled with blueberries. 

“Oooh speaking of which,” Tony paused his smothering to turn and look at his son, “we apparently need to have a talk about Peter.”

“Oh shit yeah. You happened to hire the boy I’ve been lowkey crushing on for months and completely ruined my chances with yesterday. Great timing Daddy-O.”

“Yep! And he’s coming in to train today so you’re gonna be working with him.” Harley wanted to scream. “Pepper’s gonna kill me if I don’t go to this meeting first though. I should be back by 11:00 so don’t worry about it, but if I’m not just show him to your lab okay?”

“Okay.” He nodded. Blinked. “Wait my lab? MY LAB?” He moved to run after him, but was stopped before he could.

“Are we gonna talk about the whole ‘ruined my chances with him’ thing, or no?” his pops asked, setting another waffle on his plate. “That seems like a big deal that I should probably be a parent for since your father doesn’t seem to know how to do that.”

Harley sighed. “It’s probably not a huge deal, but since I was working with him all day, I was a little flirtier than normal and I accidentally told him I was gay and he shut me out for the rest of the day.”

“How do you accidentally- you know what, no, not important.” He held out his arms in a silent invitation to hug. Harley melted into it and pressed his face into his shirt. “What is important is that you don’t overwhelm him like you do most people. Don’t make a big deal out of yesterday and focus on nerd stuff.”

“What if he shut me out because he’s homophic?”

“Somehow, I doubt that’s the case. Most young adults are fairly open minded nowadays.”

“But-“

“No. Finish your breakfast. You have a whole day of sciencing with your future husband ahead of you.”

“There’s not enough coffee in the world for this,” Harley grumbled. 

~~~

Tony wasn’t back by 11:00, and to make matters worse, Peter was early. 

At precisely 10:37am, JARVIS announced his arrival. Harley braced himself for the worst and walked down to meet him.

“You’re early,” he said by way of a greeting.

“You’re… not Mr. Stark.”

“Dad’s gonna meet us down in my lab at 11:00. He had a meeting.” They walked into the elevator. “JARVIS, you know where to go.”

“ _ Indeed Boss Jr. _ ”

“Wait.” Peter threw an arm out in front of him, nearly hitting Harley in the chest. “‘Dad’? ‘Boss Jr.?’”

“Yeah? I thought you knew I was Tony Stark’s kid.”

“I knew you were adopted, but I thought you were joking about being adopted by Tony Stark,” said Peter. 

Harley looked at him incredulously. How are you supposed to respond to something like that? 

Thankfully, he didn’t have to. The elevator stopped at the lab floor. Harley stepped out and started dragging Peter along with him. 

“This is our lab. I typically work here when I’m not at Lucky’s. I imagine you’ll be doing the same unless my old man gives you set hours. Speaking of whom-”

“Mr. Parker! I see you’ve had the chance to meet my son Harley!” Tony strode into the lab with a surprisingly slow gait for a man 23 minutes late. 

“We’d actually met before, sir,” Peter informed him. “We both work at Lucky’s and our shifts cross frequently.”

“Oh good, then you’ll have something to talk about if you take breaks from working.” He pulled out a Starkpad. “As for your work, I’m giving you unrestricted access to the lab, but I do want you working a set number of hours per week. Minimum of 36 hours, don’t you think, Mr. Parker?”

“Sounds excellent, sir.”

“Kid, call me Tony. ‘Sir’ makes me sound old.”

“You are old, dad,” Harley butted in. 

“Harley, I will ground you for the rest of your life.”

“I’m 19?”

“You think that’ll stop me?”

The pair stared each other down while Peter stood awkwardly behind them. He cleared his throat. “Not that this isn’t entertaining, but I do have a few questions before I get started.”

Tony narrowed his eyes at Harley one last time before turning back to Peter. “Ask away.”

Peter nodded and began, “First of all, do you want me here at certain times, or just come when I can while still fulfilling your requirements? And will I get my own workspace, or should I just try and find a clear area to set up?”

“Come when you can. There are always people working in the Tower, so don’t worry about it. As long as you get your work done and have the time to develop it well, I don’t care when you’re here.” Peter breathed a nearly inaudible sigh of relief at that. 

“And as for a work space, I know my son is a disaster-”

“Thanks dad.”

“You’re welcome  _ bambino _ . But yes, since he is a disaster I took the liberty of starting to clear away a section of the room for you to work with as a start. You can take over more of the lab as you continue working here.”

Harley made a noise of disagreement before following to where Tony was leading them. Sure enough, three of his lab tables had been cleared off and reset with everything a biologist or a chemist would want. Microscopes and beakers covered the place where drills and computers used to sit. A supply cupboard had been added off to the side, no doubt hiding chemicals and tools for measurement. No matter how pissed he was about losing valuable lab space, Harley had to admit that it was 100% the best place for Peter. 

Tony ran out the door shortly thereafter, citing another meeting with a board he didn’t really pay attention to, but not before running through a demo of the more complicated instruments present. 

For a moment, it was quiet. The absence of Tony’s voice always seemed to leave a certain peacefulness, however long. 

“Well,” Harley started. “Do you have any questions? You can ask them whenever, Dad’s always up, and if he’s not, I probably am.”

Peter mumbled his confirmation, but he seemed vacant. “I’m sorry, by the way.”

“What for? I honestly don’t care that you didn’t believe Tony was my dad. That’s a perfectly reasonable response for a normal person.”

“Not that! I mena, yes that, but that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s just,” he coughed awkwardly, “I completely shut you out yesterday. That wasn’t fair to you.”

“Hey, it’s fine. I’m told I can be overwhelming in large quantities.”

“Still! You came out to me and I shut down! That was a dick move, man.”

“Peter, I already told you. It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize or explain.” Harley honestly did not want to be a part of this conversation. Why couldn’t Peter say he was uncomfortable with him being gay so they could move on in relative peace.

“But I feel like I should, so shut up and let me,” Peter insisted. Harley was skeptical, but he would allow it.

“Sorry, I’m just not used to people being so open about it. It’s just not a thing in my life.”  _ It  _ being  _ gay _ he supposed.

“That’s normal. Some families just don’t accept it, but yeah gay people exist and here I am. Just don’t preach to me about how I should ‘hide it’ or whatever, please and thank you. I got that enough back in Tennessee, and I’m kinda sick of it.”

Peter stared at him blankly. “...huh?”

“Is that… not what you were doing?”

He blinked slowly, as if only now processing the information. “You think I’m,” he gestured at himself, genuinely perplexed, “homophobic?”

“...Yes?”

“Harley, I’m bi.”

“Ah. Okay. Well. I was clearly very wrong about this whole situation, so I do apologize for that- Peter stop laughing at me, I’m being serious!”

He did not stop laughing. In fact, he was laughing so hard, he doubled over at the middle and started gasping for breath. 

“You know what? Fuck you. Work on your damn biochem. Yell if you need anything.” Harley walked back to his side of the lab. He could still hear Peter crying from his desk. 

~~~

“So?”

“What?” He flopped into a recliner. 

“So did you talk to your new lab partner?”

Harley sighed. “Yes, pops. We talked.”

“And?” And they say Steve Rogers was a little shit. 

“I’m stupid, he’s bi, and I’m completely fucked.”

“The trifecta of a disaster gay,” said James. 

“And you’re speaking from experience, dear.” Tony walked in and dropped a kiss on top of James head where it poked out over the couch. 

James hummed in agreement and went back to reading his book. 

“Terrible parents. Both of you,” groaned Harley. 

“That’s right, kiddo. We only remind you to eat your vegetables and that you have a meeting in Queens tomorrow with the guy from Oscorp,” Tony snarked. 

“Oscorp dude who refuses to meet in actually meeting spaces? Wants to meet in a coffee shop because it’s ‘neutral territory’? Probably part of the Mafia based on previous evidence listed?”

“That’s the one!”

“Ugh. Why can’t you go?”

“I’m on more than one shit list, kid. I’m not into dying anymore, thank you very much. Plus your father wouldn’t approve.” 

James laughed at that, the traitor. “So obviously you send our child to get killed for you.”

“Mhmm. He can annoy his way out of being murdered.”

“Thanks dad.”

“You’re welcome. I have complete faith in you!”

“You have the specs I need loaded into a file?” he asked in lieu of an actual response. 

“Oh yeah. Location included with that too.”

“Kay thanks.” Harley got up to go to his room and review for the meeting. 

“Dinner’s in an hour,  _ bambino _ ,” Tony yelled after him. 

  
“Yeah yeah,” Harley muttered.  _ Now where the hell is Noir coffee house? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr at [parallelparkner](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/parallelparkner/)


	3. Black Widow, No Sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meetings happening in more ways than one. Thank goodness Spider-Man is there to save the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have no explanation other than i am so sorry. it's been literally 2 months. I'm back though! and I updated! I hope you enjoy bcuz I'm right about to close up this fic, but then yall will start to see the prequel i have planned...

Noir coffee house as it turns out, was in Queens. It was also not in a good neighborhood, so Harley would like to state for the record that if he dies, it would not be his fault. ‘Noir’ had no reason to be so literal either. It was so dark everywhere in this neighborhood around the building, and he wouldn’t be surprised at all if they specialized in black coffee. 

It was a themed coffee shop. Spy themed. Harley was honest to God in pain. He went up to order, and he was right about the black coffee thing, it seemed. Good thing that was what he usually drank, but good lord was that the worst thing in history, coincidence or not. 

The Oscorp guy looked fairly normal. He was already there and at a table. On the younger side to Harley’s surprise, but he guessed they had to train the next generation of criminals at some point. Harley shook his hand and went to place his order. That gave him some time to collect the last of his thoughts. 

Or it would have had he not known the barista. 

“Peter?”

“Harley? What are you doing here?”   
  


“I have a meeting.” He motioned towards the guy. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m from Queens,” he said. “I also work… here,” came the more hesitant addition. 

“And at Lucky’s? And for my dad?”

A nod. “When do you sleep?” Harley was honestly horrified. 

“I sleep!” he tried to defend. “Just probably not as much as I should. I’m okay.”

Harley narrowed his eyes, but didn’t argue it any further. Peter handed him his coffee and waved him off with a quick ‘don’t keep Harry waiting that’s a bad idea’ and a smile. He had questions, but that was for another day. 

‘Harry’ wore a sharp suit and an even sharper attitude. “Harold Osborn,” he introduced. “You must be Harley Stark. I’ve been expecting you.”

It was so cliché Harley almost started laughing. Instead he said, “Yes sir, that’s me. You asked Stark Industries to meet up about the Clean Energy Partnership, is that correct?”

Once he confirmed it was, Harley pulled up the files his dad had sent him the night before. “Now,” he started, “we’ve heard your ideas for expansion and we have some, shall we say,  _ minor adjustments _ to the plans you sent us.”

Harry was too shocked at the sudden appearance of holographs from his phone to respond. The corruption could be seen in the blueprints from a continent away. The cost explosion alone would have been ruinous for the countries they were being sent to. Oscorp had manipulated the plans to not account for the specific climate zones or the resources of the region, a simple fix that Harley took joy in breaking it down one region at a time. The look on Osborn’s face was priceless. Harley wished he could take a picture to take back to his dad as proof. 

“And what are your thoughts, Mr. Osborn?” he asked when he finished the total deconstruction of the plans. 

“Well you certainly did your research, Mr. Stark.”

“Mr. Stark is my father. Call me Harley, I insist.”

“ _ Harley _ then. Your research is impeccable. The adaptation based on material immediately available in the country is quite frankly genius.”

“A massive cost saver too, especially in third world countries that need it.”

“See that’s my concern, Harley. We won’t be earning nearly the same-”

“And since we both are a part of such massive companies, this project will hardly make a dent in the long run, especially since we both hold large parts of the technology industry, you still have a piece of the weapons market, and SI is developing their product line for prosthetics and artificial intelligence. The profit wouldn’t be totally gone, only less which was one of the ultimate goals of this project alongside providing clean energy world wide that could eventually save the planet. The biggest deterrent of the Clean Energy Initiative was the sheer amount it would cost, along with the economic impact in general, but I believe I covered the job opportunities these projects provide that would expand upon and improve the conditions that already exist.” 

“You did,” came the curt reply. “I, for one, am glad we’re working with such a capable team that figured out exactly how to solve the issues the people are so concerned about.”

“We would hardly be anywhere without the collaborative efforts of your administration. Should I send you a copy of the files to review with your board?”

“That would be good, yes. Thank you Harley.” 

Harley stood once again to shake his hand. “Good to be working for you Mr. Osborn.”

He hesitated for a moment before taking Harley’s hand. “You’re a good man, Harley.” After he dropped the hand, he pulled on his jacket. “And should we meet again, call me Harry. I’d very much like to have a human conversation with you outside of business hours. You have my card.”

“And you have mine.”

Harry smiled before turning on his heel to leave, giving Harley a once over before biting his lip and winking. 

Once he was out the door and safely past the window in front, Peter made an appearance by his side, and they both burst out in fits of giggles. 

“He’s such a player, it’s painful,” Peter choked out. 

“Did that asshole  _ actually _ just try to hit on me? Tell me I didn’t imagine that.”

“You did not.”

“Oh God I hated that.”

“He looks hot as hell in a suit though, you gotta admit.”

“You got me there.”

“He’s not the only one that looks hot in a suit.” Harley turned and saw Peter give him an appraising look. 

“Hey now. That’s a future Mr. Stark-Osborn you’re talking to,” he said, mostly to deflect the implications of that look because  _ oh no oh no oh no _ . 

The giggles started up again. “That was the  _ worst  _ meeting I’ve ever been to in my life. Dad owes me big time.”

“That was wild as hell to watch. My ex and one of my best friends debating over a Serious Business Matter™. 

“I’m sorry. Your  _ what _ ?”

“You heard me.”

“I don’t believe you. You are lying to me, Mr. Parker.”

“I am not, Mr. Keener.”

Harley stared at him. “I have so many questions and I do not know where to start.”

“Remind me to tell you about that whole mess in the lab someday. For now, I have to start closing down.”

Harley glanced outside, and sure enough it was getting dark. “My dads are gonna want me home soon too. See you later?”

“Yeah you bet.” 

He gathered the last of his things and walked outside with a last wave to Peter. The sun was nearly set, which he realized probably wasn’t super safe, but he started to walk. He had parked a while away to avoid being followed anyways. 

_ God, why did that meeting have to last so late _ , he thought.  _ It’s like he wanted me to get murdered in a shady ass neighborhood _ .

So naturally, right after he thought that, he got dragged into an alley by a person with a knife. 

“You look like you’ve got some money, pretty boy,” they said. “Cough it up. Wallet, keys, tech, let’s go.”

And because Harley had never been a sane man- “No.”

That actually seemed to throw the mugger off. “No?”

“You heard me. No.”

The knife got closer to his throat. “I’d rethink that statement if I were you.”

“Man, I got things to do. I don’t have time for this.”

And then he was on the ground. Ugh. 

“Ow?”

“Cash. Now.”

“No.”

Then they started actually doing damage. Kicking and getting on his level to land some well placed punches too. Harley figured he didn’t have long until they started rooting through his pockets for what they wanted, and he started to try and fight back. Tried to get up, block, counter, run away. It started to feel futile after a few minutes, and he feared for his work. He’d deal with the damage to his body later. 

When he saw another figure join the mix, he started to give up. He was already so close to passing out, and two on one was gonna be an even less fair fight. Then the new person started trash talking the mugger.  _ Thank God _ , was the last thought he had before giving in to his head injuries. 

~~~

He came to on a rooftop. How on earth did he even get up here? 

“Oh thank goodness you're awake,” came a  _ very  _ familiar voice. “I was worried you were gonna die on me or something.”

“Ha ha.” Harley winced. He touched his head, feeling the bruises forming near his eyes and nose. “What happened?”

“You got mugged.” His companion was dressed in a… red bodysuit? “I swung in and helped out. Don’t worry, they didn’t get anything off of you.”

God his voice was familiar. Harley couldn’t get it out of his head. “Who are you?” he asked. 

“They call me Spider-Man.”

“But I know you. I know I know you.”

“You don’t.”

“But I know your voice.” 

The unidentifiable man walked to the edge of the rooftop, seemingly poised to jump off and fly into the city. “You’re imagining things.” 

“Jesus Christ, man. Give me a break here.”

“I’m just Spider-Man, not Jesus.”

And then it all clicks. The neighborhood, a line so familiar from a voice he loves so much. “Peter?”

A pause. “Shit.” He took a step back off the ledge. “Sorry, but oh my have you got it wrong” He’d tried to disguise his voice. Cute. 

“I don’t think I do.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not your boyfriend.”

“No, I just want you to be.” 

Little did he realize, Harley had gotten up off the ground and crept up behind him. His mask came off with no resistance, allowing his floppy curls to cascade around his face. 

Peter spun around, the shock registering on his face alongside a faint blush. “How-”

“Oh no. You don’t get to talk right now. We need to have a very serious conversation right now about what exactly you’re hiding from me, Peter Parker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr at [parallelparkner](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/parallelparkner/)


	4. Spider Latte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth behind Peter's life is finally revealed. His past isn't what Harley expected, and he is forced to come to terms with a few hard truths. Once he does, however...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy fuck? I finished it? it's been months but it's done???? it's been a crazy ass wild ride, but I love yall for sticking with it.

“Can we go somewhere else? More private? There’s a lot we should talk about, and I don’t want to do that standing on a roof where anyone could see.” To his credit, Peter looked absolutely pitiful standing there without the mask. 

Harley sighed. “Do you have any other clothes? I’m not riding with Spider-Man on the back of my bike.”   
  


“Yeah lemme just-” He took his mask back and shot a web somewhere in the distance. “I’ll meet you at your bike after I change.”

“Sure just-” Peter swung away. “-leave me to get mugged again I guess.” He let out another sigh. Nothing in life could have possibly prepared him for this, not even two superhero dads.

~~~

Peter was standing next to the bike by the time Harley made it down from the roof. Technically, it wasn’t made for two people, but the ambiguous design was adaptable so Harley figured it’d be fine. “Take my helmet.”

“I have superpowers. You don’t.”

“Take the fucking helmet, Peter.”

He did. Harley got on the bike first. “Hold on.”

“Where are we going?”

“Where do you think?”

~~~

They ended up in front of Lucky’s within half an hour. Ned and MJ were on shift, so neither one of them had to order. Harley practically dragged Peter to a booth and sat them down.

“There is so much about this whole thing that’s so unbelievably fucked up. I don’t even know where to start.”   
  


“I could start at the beginning,” Peter tried.

“Would that even cover it?”

Peter stayed silent. “That’s what I thought. How about I start by asking you questions, and you answer them  _ honestly _ .”

“Okay.”

“Great. First who else knows?”

“Ned and MJ. And Mr. Stark. That’s it,” he counted off. 

“Not even your family?”

“What family?”

That stopped Harley in his tracks. “What?”

“I don’t have a family, Harles. My parents died when I was a kid, and my uncle died when I was 13. My aunt took care of me until… but that doesn’t matter. I don’t have a family now.”

Harley almost felt bad for asking. “Not that I’m not concerned about all of that, but I’ve been building a list of questions since the rooftop in Queens, so I’ll come back to that. However, you work here, Noir, for my dad, and as a vigilante superhero. When do you go home and sleep?”

“I, uh. I don’t?”   
  


“What, you don’t sleep?”

“No, I don’t go home. I don’t have one.”

Harley froze. Nothing in his life had taught him how to deal with anything like this. He imagined he looked a bit like a gaping fish trying to find the right thing to say. Peter didn’t give him the chance.

“I don’t want you pity. I’m surviving just fine. For a while, I was couch surfing, still am for the most part, but I just catch naps whenever I can, and try not to bother people. I’m working 3 jobs just to keep my head above the water and save up to get an apartment of my own. Before all this, I lived with my aunt, but…”

Fuck it. “What happened with your family, Peter?” He spoke with barely a whisper. 

“My parents were killed in a car crash when I was 3. I don’t remember them, so don’t apologize about it. Makes me feel guilty for not knowing anything. My uncle Ben got killed in a mugging when I was 13. I’d just been bitten by the spider that made me  _ this _ ,” he lifted the bag his mask was in, “and I couldn’t save him. Don’t apologize for that either, but that makes me feel exponentially worse about it.” 

Peter paused for a moment, considering where to go next. “No one knew at that point. I was a scared kid, and I blamed myself for everything. There was no way I was telling May. She would have been so angry and, even though it’s irrational, I think she would have blamed it on me.” 

He hesitated again. “She found out anyway. I’d already been on thin ice because I accidentally outed myself by not being careful and making out with Harry in our apartment. The whole ‘bisexual’ thing really threw her off, and even though she said she loved me, there was always an edge. It was almost like I was a completely different person to her. Then walking in on me while I was wearing the suit-” Peter shuttered. “I got kicked out that night. I still see her from time to time. She still lives in Queens. Same apartment. I think she’s happier now.”

“Oh Peter-”

“I said don’t.” He took a deep breath. “I’d had the job at Noir already at that point, a summer job after my junior year. 17 years old and on the streets, but I’d search for apartment listings that were cheap and other jobs on my breaks. My original goal was to get out of Queens, but at some point I was running with anything I could find. It was dangerous. Ned let me sleep on his couch, and that’s how I found Lucky’s, honestly. It saved my life. And then I met you.”

“If I had any idea at all, you know I would have helped, right?” Harley felt so lost. He wanted to wrap Peter up in a hug and never let him go. Right now, he could only sit in shock and try to drink his coffee. He felt sick.

Peter smiled, if a bit sadly. “Yeah, I know. Meeting you, I knew you were something special, and I was so curious about this boy I’d only see for 30 minutes a day. Every little thing about you was fascinating. Is fascinating. Spending a whole shift with you was a dream come true. I didn’t need to be anything around you. That day was the best I’ve had in a while.”

“You’d gotten beat up as Spider-Man the night before.” The realization hit Harley like a truck. “That’s why you had a black eye.”

He nodded. “In my defense, the other guy does look worse. But Spider-Man is… definitely a thing. It’s how your dad found me.”

“What? But the biochem thing-”

“Actually, it’s a funny story. He was looking for someone in my department for an internship position and he picked me for an interview, and then he tried to contact Spider-Man completely unrelated, and I had to come clean. It was a very weird day for both of us, honestly.”

Harley blinked. There was no handbook on how to react to this. No social cue or logic could save him in this situation. He needed to breathe, but Peter only kept talking. 

“It took me forever to make the connection that you were really his kid. I’m not sure why, because I remember your adoption making the news, but it made total sense when I realized. Your intelligence is unparalleled even in a casual conversation, and his charisma rubbed off on you. You had me charmed from the beginning with the barest hint of an accent and a devilish yet somehow sweet smile. God, I think I fell in love with you the day I met you. Now I work with you at the tower too, and I fucked everything up by being me.”

“What? Peter, no. You haven’t fucked anything up. Sure, we definitely need to talk about some of the more questionable things about this, like you being homeless, but I’m sure dad and pops won’t care if we have a guest for a little bit. Honestly with you being Spider-Man, you should live in the tower with the rest of the team.

“And, listen, seeing you for the first time in Lucky’s, I thought I was dreaming. You look like an angel, and you never fail to be the nicest person I’ve ever met. Your sheer goodness turned me into a morning person just so I could happily walk into work at 6:30am and have full conversations with you. Clint told my dad, and they teased for days because of this massive crush I had on you. I thought I was going to implode when I worked that full shift with you, and then I thought I fucked everything up when I outed myself. Finding out you were bi nearly gave me a stroke that day in the lab. All I wanted to do was ask you out, but I had no idea how.” Harley paused. He had no much to say, and had no idea how to say any of it.

Peter must have felt the same, because he launched himself across the table to tackle Harley into a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you so much.”

“I don’t know what you’re thanking me for. Are you ready to go home?”

He nodded and stood. Harley led them back to his bike, and sped off to the tower.

~~~

“Dad? Pops?” Harley called into the penthouse once they returned. 

“Oh thank fuck,” said Tony. “You’re home so late, what happened?”

“Well the Oscorp guy hit on me, I got mugged, and hey by the way, when were you gonna tell me that Peter is Spider-Man?”

“Ah well uh so-”

“YOU GOT MUGGED?” yelled James as he ran in. “Oh hello, you must be Peter. Lovely to meet you, kid, but Harley James Keener-Stark,” he said, hands on his hips. 

“Oh no.”

“Clearly, a lot has happened today, so maybe it would be best if we sat down while we talked?” Peter intervened. James happened to agree with him. 

Once they were all seated, Harley turned to Tony. “Before anything, you know Peter is Spider-Man.”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t think that was important?”   
  


“His secret identity is important,” Tony answered. “We might not get that luxury,” he motioned and his husband, “but I’ll be damned if I take it away from anyone unnecessarily.”

That was fair, Harley agreed. “But do you know the rest of his story?”

“What?”

“Peter, you need to tell him.”

So Peter did. By the end, Tony was pacing, and James had gotten up to wrap Peter in a hug and hadn’t moved since.

James spoke first. “You’re welcome to stay here, with us you know. Might be nice to be around other people like you as well. People with powers and abilities.”

“I think there’s empty apartments left as well, if you don’t want to stay with us. You can do that too obviously, but I understand if you want space,” said Tony

Harley held his hand. “We’re not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Peter looked close to tears. “Is… is it alright if I stay here for a bit? Just until I adjust and can get back on my feet?”   
  


Tony breathed a sigh of relief. “Stay as long as you need, kiddo. Harley can show you where you need to go.”

“We’re gonna have to have the conversation about you getting mugged at some point, младенец. You’re not getting out of that so easily,” his pops told him. Harley only rolled his eyes and tightened his hold on Peter’s hand and dragged him off to the guest room. 

The guest room is right across of Harley’s room. 

“What, I can’t stay with you?” Peter joked. 

“Not until I take you on a proper date. However, my room is right across the hall if you need anything. We just came from the kitchen, dining room, and living room area, and the bathroom is down that way, third door on the right.”   
  


“Proper date?”   
  


“Only if you want,” Harley said hurriedly. “I refuse to pressure you into anything you aren’t comfortable with.”

“A true gentleman.” Peter smiled. “How did I get so lucky?”

“Well I seem to remember a coffee shop by the same name being involved,” quipped Harley. It was worth the punch Peter delivered to his arm.

“So will you? Go out with me I mean.” he asked nervously.

“Of course, under one condition.”

“Anything.”

“We’re not getting coffee.”

Harley laughed, and Peter’s smile beamed. 

In that moment, Harley knew he would do anything to keep that smile in his life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the record, I have a few fics already planned out for more of this series. I have a good feeling about all of it, and I hope you enjoy what I create. yall mean the world to me <3
> 
> find me on tumblr at [with-this-pen-as-my-s-h-i-e-l-d](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/with-this-pen-as-my-s-h-i-e-l-d)

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr at [parallelparkner](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/parallelparkner/)


End file.
